Wayne Baxter, a senior associate with Investment Planning Counsel in Mississauga, Ont., maintains that having a process is important, but so is having a team with complementary skills to implement it.

His tips for success include:

> you can’t go it alone. Surround yourself with loyal and reliable people;

> pick team members who have skill sets you are lacking;

> every year, prepare a business plan that you present to your team in early January. “We spend half a day,” he says, “going over the plan and how it should look.”

> then, halfway through the year, the team meets again to see how much progress it has made. — CLARE O’HARA